Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I use a toaster oven mainly for three things: 1) toast (every day), 2) reheating pizza (once or twice a month), and 3) making garlic toast (once or twice a month). I use my convection microwave or my full-size oven for larger roasting/baking jobs. Seems like its difficult these days to find a toaster oven that works well and is safe. I had an inexpensive Black & Decker oven that served me well for 18 years. This is the third oven I've purchased in 4 years as I attempt to find an adequate replacement. After using it for about 6 weeks, this one is OK. Things I like: One feature I specifically look for is an on/off button. Having to turn a dial for a timer each time I want a piece of toast gives inconsistent results. Plus the timer ticking down is annoying. On this oven, the darkness is set and as long as one is toasting the same type of bread, the results are predictable. I like the style and color. I have red accents in my kitchen and this oven looks good on my countertop. As I was working out the right darkness setting or when toasting other types of bread or bagels, it's handy to be able to see through the oven door rather than having to guess or pop up the toast to check it. A couple of times thin slices of bread have fallen off the rack instead of popping up. In a conventional toaster retrieval can be tricky. With this oven, simply open of oven door and use tongs to remove the toast. The oven tray seems to be made of aluminum and has a finish that cleans up much better than other oven trays I've had. Oil, grease and food doesn't bake on. Other comments: The size is both a pro and a con. I like its small footprint. It doesn't take up much space on my counter. But the tray only holds two pieces of bread if making garlic toast or a couple slices of pizza. One of the ovens I had was bigger; it would hold four slices of bread. But the B&D oven that I used for 18 years was about this size and most times for me that's big enough. I thought it might toast or heat unevenly because the only heating elements are on the bottom, but that hasn't been a problem. It is a bit slower than some ovens, but that's an easy adjustment. Of course the tray must be removed for toasting, and the lever must be set to oven to close the top slot for oven use. Some reviews mentioned the annoying beeping. That's true, and it beeps for everything: when it's unplugged, when it's plugged in; when it's switched from oven to toaster and again when switched back to oven; when toast is put in; when toast pops up - this one is most annoying four long slow beeps. Many appliances beep, but this one is a little more irritating. In summary: It's a clever design that works well for the price. While I don't love it, it works fine and I would recommend it.